‘Bake Off has lifted me out of a black hole’

As show returns to screens, its oldest contestant says it helped her to cope with the death of her husband

THE oldest contestant ever to appear on The Great British Bake Off has told how her love of baking began when her son suggested it would help her cope with her husband’s death.

Flo, a retired factory worker from Liverpool, said landing a place on the popular TV baking competition had rescued her from the grief of losing her husband Richard to leukaemia in 2015.

The Great British Bake Off ’s eagerly anticipated eighth series will make its debut on Channel 4 on Tuesday after leaving the BBC last year.

Speaking ahead of the launch Flo, who at 71 is the show’s oldest contestant yet, said: “I was so devastated when Richard died and I was in a bad place. I couldn’t laugh, I couldn’t be bothered with life and I just found it so tough. He was such a good man and he was always putting me first.”

After 48 years of marriage, Flo said she struggled with getting through each day until her son Stephen suggested that she started baking for his restaurant.

“Even then, I would still cry for hours and hours,” said the mother of three from Liverpool.

But she added the baking helped her through the “grieving process”, leading her daughter Nicola to apply for the programme on her behalf.

She said: “Bake Off has given me a new lease of life. It’s taken me out of the black hole I was in and it’s brought me back to the place I was in before Richard died.

“Suddenly for the first time I am finding myself talking about making plans like having a new kitchen fitted and doing things to my house. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my bad days but this show really has helped put a smile on my face again.”

Flo will be joined by another 11 other amateur bakers, as well as the show’s revamped hosting team, made up of returning judge Paul Hollywood as well as new judge Prue Leith alongside new presenting duo Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig, who join the show to replace the BBC’s Mel and Sue.

This year’s youngest contestant is 19-year-old Liam, a drama student at Goldsmiths University. His enthusiasm for the baking show earned him the nickname the “cake boy” after he reli- giously followed previous contestants’ weekly challenges.

Contestant Chris, 50, an IT software developer, applied for the show after his friends began comparing him to experimental chef Heston Blumenthal thanks to his unusual bread creations.

The Somerset-based baker revealed that in his mid-20s, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and given just three months to live.

“I’ve only got one lung as a result but I am still here,” he said. “When you are in hospital for such a long time, your life revolves around the TV a lot. I hope those unfortunate enough to find themselves in hospital watching this year’s GBBO will think ‘hey that can be me next year’ when they watch me.”

Commenting on the pressure of baking in the iconic white tent, Afghanistan war heroine Sophie, 33, said the experience was more nerve-racking than her day job.

Despite having received an Afghan medal for her services during a sevenmonth tour, Sophie said: “There is just so much pressure baking in the tent”.

“Walking into that tent first time is so much harder than my training to be

‘I once made a cake 17 times because I was determined to get it right. I do speak my mind and don’t like criticism’

a stuntwoman,” she added.

Julia will be feeling the heat, after spending three years practising for a spot on the show. The 21-year-old, who is originally from Siberia, quit her job as an aviation broker as soon as she learned she had secured a place in order to focus on the Channel 4 series.

James, 46, a project manager, on the other hand, entered the show after finding that baking was a great stress reliever from his job in the City.

One contestant likely to run into difficulty with the judges is Stacey, a selfconfessed perfectionist.

The mother of three said: “I once made a cake 17 times because I was determined to get it right. I don’t like criticism and I do speak my mind.”

The other contestants are ChuenYan, a 46-year-old cancer scientist; Kate, 29, a health and safety inspector and amateur blacksmith; Peter, 52, an IT programme manager; Tom, a 29-year-old architect and marketing professional Steven, 34.

The Great British Bake Off airs at 8pm on Channel 4 on Tuesday. In Sunday: 10 classic recipes to master